In the field of folding means and, in particular, the field of folding means for scooters, various proposals have been put forward for ease of use in relation to packaging and stowage. Consequently, it is known in the art for scooters to comprise folding means to allow the scooter to be folded into a compact form for easy stowage, packaging, and transportation when not in use. In many situations there is a need for a scooter to be packaged and stowed compactly without sacrificing rigidity and safety.
In known examples, a scooter can have a folding means incorporating components located on the steering column and the steering column bracket that connects the steering column to the scooter deck. Very often, the components are in a difficult position to reach and a user may need to operate more than one lever to fold the scooter.
The assembly and disassembly of such designs can be difficult and time consuming, particularly for a child. Additionally, a user's feet or clothing can easily catch in the parts which can be a safety risk, especially as children are the main users of scooters.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding means for a folding apparatus that goes at last some way towards overcoming the above-mentioned disadvantages, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
As already mentioned, the folding means of the invention is suitable for scooters, pallet trolleys and other folding trolleys for material handling, for example in the agricultural and horticultural fields, prams, children's ride-on toys, transporters and the like. For simplicity, the present invention will be hereinafter described in respect of a folding means for a scooter but it is to be understood that a folding means for any other type of mobile apparatus is envisaged to be within the applications to which the present application could be put and the term “mobile apparatus” is to be understood to have that broad meaning.
It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the engineering arts that the present invention could also be used in various other situations and wherever a folding of a multi-part item is required.